The day before Christmas...

When I got home this morning from work I had all intentions of writing about the bad night my switchman, The Rambling Hillbilly had, because no matter what he did during the shift, it went wrong. Nothing major... Nothing to get anyone hurt... Just a whole bunch off little things happened that I wont go into because it would necessitate a huge description of a bunch of railroad terms... So a long story short, he was having a bad night, and the more frustrated he got, the more me and my conductor laughed, and the more we laughed the angrier he got...

Not that I would ever derive pleasure in an other's discomfort...

We laughed our asses off!

Sorry, Bill, it was just too damn funny! That look on your face was precious!

Now to what I decided to write about. Christmas traditions...

Christmas was always my Mother's favorite holiday of the year (and being that my siblings and my birthdays are all around the end of December I'm leaning towards St. Patrick's Day as my Fathers...) and she would go all out decorating the house and the tree.

I'm of German descent on my mom's side, and I was always told that in Germany, they wouldn't put up the tree and decorate it until Christmas Eve. So that being said, we'd always, as a family, put the tree up and decorate it right before going to bed.

In 1992, few years after I got out of the Army and I was working in Law Enforcement, my father died and now it was up to me to come over the house on Christmas Eve and put the tree up so my mom and sisters could decorate it.

This I did, every year, then one time my sister said something about "The Leaning Tree of Christmas..."

Let me explain a little...

So I'd come over the house and put the tree up...

But I'd always stop off at the local watering hole, Lengehan's Pub, before the requisite tree erection... So I'd usually have half a load on. My sister told me it always would have a 10 degree starboard list when I was finished...

How was I to know?

It looked fine to me!

So that's my last recollection of Christmas in the home I grew up in... A tree askew in the living room... much like the one pictured above, only that's not it.

And as they say on the nightly news, alcohol was a factor...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Photo pinched from the Interweb

Now I'm really confused...

I went on line last week to renew my vehicle registration since my tags would expire at the end of this month. On the same FL DMV web page I found I could change my address on my Driver's License for a small $25 fee. As I've moved over two years ago from my previous residence, and since it's Florida state law to change your driver's license within 10 days of any relocation, I figured then was as good a time as any to change my address. I needed to anyway for another reason I'll get to in a few minutes.

I was told then after I made my secure credit card transaction that this would be the last time I could do that because new laws that had just taken effect.

Now in Florida, to get a Driver's License or renew a current license, you must now make an appointment at the DMV and show proof of identity...

That being: (all listed... Not just one)
A Current Passport
Birth Certificate
Social Security Card
Voter Registration Card
Another Photo ID

And proof of residence, being at least two utility bills, bank statements, a copy of a lease agreement or mortgage agreement and pay stubs showing current residential address.


Ok. Swell. I understand all about the need to be wary, and how the 9-11 hijackers and terrorists obtained phony ID's...

But this is getting a little too much.

The ironic thing about this is that one's current driver's license is NOT acceptable as a valid ID.

What the fuck, over?

Ok. I need to get a new Passport. I was planning a trip to Australia this summer to visit (get drunk with) a few mates of mine, but the way the economy is going the airfare to Oz are going through the roof, so I might just go to the UK and Ireland this summer. Either way I need a new passport. I was stupid and let mine expire two years ago, so now I've got to go through the whole damn process again... Meaning I've got to get my birth certificate from the City of Philadelphia. My original was misplaced years ago. Now to get that, I've got to send them a certified copy of my current Driver's license, showing my current address.

So I needed to change my address on my license.

OK, that taken care of.

But still...

I can get a copy of my birth certificate, by mail, using my current driver's license.

And use that as an ID?

It has no picture of me on it... The one picture I have of me taken around the time the ink was drying on it you see in my profile picture. While the attitude is still the same, I look a little different.

And I don't think those tiny little footprints are valid either.

And OK, let's look at the other forms of ID the state is requesting.

Social Security Card.

Again, no photo, only this, printed in bold on the very bottom: FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND TAX PURPOSES - NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION (Form OA-702 Rev.9-61)

Huh?

Voter Registration Card. Again, no photo.

And "Another Photo ID". Now what the fuck do they want? My Sam's Club card? Or my employee ID card, which I had to show my Social Security Card and my Driver's license in order to be employed?

But my current Driver's License is now not acceptable for ID.

What next?

Irhe Identifizierung Bitte?

I need a damn drink...

Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden